Fitbit just announced a new version of its popular smartwatch: the Versa 2. The upgraded model brings improvements like built-in access to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, an improved screen, new sleep tracking features, and longer battery life. It starts at $199.95 and launches on September 15.

Such changes can help make Fitbit's Versa 2 a more formidable rival to competitors like Samsung and Apple, which currently lead the smartwatch industry with 15.9% and 46.4% global market share respectively in Q2, according to Strategy Analytics.

New features coming in the Versa 2

The previous version of the Versa lacked any voice assistant, and users had to opt for the more expensive Special Edition of the watch to use Fitbit Pay, the company's contactless payment service.

Now with Alexa integrated into the Fitbit Versa 2, you'll be able to do things like ask for the weather, set a timer, and look for nearby restaurants hands-free through the watch. However, Alexa's functionality through the Versa is limited considering the watch doesn't have a speaker, so it'll only be able to provide on-screen answers.

The first generation Versa also lacked an OLED screen, which made its display look a bit dull in comparison to Apple's. The addition of an AMOLED screen also means the Versa 2 has an optional always-on display, making it easier to see information like the time, date, and battery life at a glance without having to move your wrist.

Other improvements coming in the Versa 2 include the ability for Spotify Premium subscribers to access music and podcasts from their wrist.

Fitbit is also introducing new sleep-oriented features, such as Sleep Score, which as its name implies assigns a score to users based on the quality of their sleep. This score is determined based on factors such as how long you've slept, your heart rate, and how much time you've spent in REM, light, and deep sleep.

A new smart wake alarm, which the company says is coming soon to all Fitbit devices, learns to wake you up at the most optimal time during your sleep cycle. And Fitbit Versa 2 users will soon be able to view a graph of their estimated oxygen variation, which can provide information about breathing variations during sleep.

The Versa 2 will last for at least five days on a charge according to Fitbit, which is far longer than the Apple Watch's roughly two-day battery life. That's also a slight improvement from the original Versa's four-day battery life, but the Versa 2's battery will drain faster after about two days if you use its always-on display feature.

The competition between Fitbit and Apple heats up

Fitbit Versa 2
Business Insider/Lisa Eadicicco

Being a health company at its core, Fitbit has outpaced Apple in the past when it comes to how comprehensive its health-oriented features are. Apple Watches, for example, still can't track sleep natively but instead require users to download third-party apps.

Not only has Fitbit offered sleep tracking for years, but it's also gone beyond that by monitoring whether users are in light, deep, or REM sleep. Apple only added the ability to measure elevation to the Apple Watch Series 3 in 2017, whereas Fitbit devices had been able to track that metric far earlier.

Apple has since added new features that have helped it keep up with Fitbit, and in some cases even surpass it. The company announced that breathing exercises were coming to the Apple Watch back in June 2016 before Fitbit revealed that a similar feature would be available for its own devices just a few months later, for instance.

The Apple Watch Series 4 can provide electrocardiogram readings and can also detect when a user has taken a hard fall, while Fitbit cannot. Apple's new software update coming this fall will enable Apple Watches to monitor a wearer's activity over time, helping users make more sense of their statistics and identify health and fitness trends.

While Apple may have been behind Fitbit in certain aspects when it came to its health tracking capabilities, it usually has more to offer as a smartwatch. For example, in the past it has always had a larger and more robust app store, a sharper screen, a more sophisticated operating system, and features like Siri support and Apple Pay compatibility by default.

With the Versa 2, Fitbit is looking to change that in a big way by adding Alexa, partnering with Spotify, upgrading the watch's screen from LCD to AMOLED, and adding mobile payments to the standard version of the watch. Such additions could help Fitbit close the gap in features and functionality when compared to its much pricier competitor.

Fitbit's new smartwatch is launching just as Apple could be preparing to debut a new version of the Apple Watch this fall. If it does, the new watch will likely be very similar to the current version, according to Bloomberg, and may include cosmetic upgrades to the finishes shoppers have to choose from.

All told, the Versa 2 is a sign that Fitbit will continue to close the gap in features between its smartwatches and Apple's, and it'll continue to do so while pricing its watches aggressively. At $200, the Versa 2 is half the price of the $400 Apple Watch Series 4.

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